The subheadings below represent the typical course policies that will govern this course. By staying enrolled, I accept that you have read and understood these policies in their entirety.
Required texts:
- London A-Z (mini edition). Any edition published since 2012.
- Links to most reading materials available through course website (developed by instructor)
- Critical readings posted on the Google drive
Additional requirements:
In essence, this is a hybrid course: the first part of the semester is offered online while the second, in London, affords us a more standard classroom setting enhanced by contextual field trips. With this in mind, please consider these additional requirements:
- a Google/Gmail account
- reliable internet service while stateside
- a laptop for use in London
Technology failures are no excuse for missing assignments.
Course Objectives:
In keeping with the University mission, this upper-division course presents students in the major (or related fields) an opportunity to explore a specific area of interest. By the end of the term, the student will be able to:
- identify trends in visual and verbal representations of London
- create their own “tour of London” while employing concepts from the course
- analyze and articulate connections between multiple texts from multiple genres
Since this is an upper-division English course, expectations are high for students' ability to read a variety of texts and to write and converse about their own thoughts about them.
Assignments and Grading:
This course will be based on a 100-point scale, distributed over five types of assignments:
- short-response paper (10 points, individual): This short response paper (1 page, single spaced) will allow students deeper engagement with a particular text and favor close reading and textual analysis over research. It must be completed before departing for London. Students are encouraged to meet with the professor via Skype in advance of the deadline to clarify expectations and address questions about this assignment.
- primary source project (20 points, individual and collaborative): The primary source project provides students insight into the origins of the works we’ll be reading throughout the semester and allows students to continuously contribute their findings on a particular source text. Individuals will be assigned to small groups to complete this project, and 10-points of the assignment will be completed before our departure for London. Pre-departure contributions will be collected on the Google Drive. Results from the primary source project will be presented in London when we revisit the works on the syllabus. In this way, students will directly contribute to the discussion during each f2f class session.
- research essay (25 points, individual): Craft a 5-7 page research essay on a topic of your own choosing within the scope of this course, developed either from the short response papers, discussion board posts, or a related interest in this field of study. All topics must be presented for approval as an abstract (5 points of above total), and all students must meet with the professor via Skype to discuss the abstract. Additional guidelines for source requirements will appear on the assignments description page.
- team field trip exploration (10 points, individual and collaborative): Week three of our stay in London will allow students to collaboratively plan and explore parts of the city in small groups, namely to gather information for the final group project. Students must prepare a single-day itinerary for the trip -- similar to what I present to you for each of our other field trip excursions -- and a budget. Additional requirements will be provided in-country.
- in-class and in-the-field discussions (3 points per week in London = 15 points): Active participation is expected on a daily basis in our face-to-face meetings. Preparation includes active, engaged reading of the assigned texts and any additional materials necessary to enhance the understanding of the material.
- collaborative project and presentation (20 points, collaborative): This final project for the course will require small groups of 2-3 students to prepare a digital scrapbook of their work paired with images and reflections on a set of topics running through the readings—travel, politics, gender roles, town v. country, nationalism, etc. Highlights for the digital scrapbook will be assembled in a prezi for peer and instructor evaluation. Multiple components -- including a written preface, presentation, peer evaluation -- described on the course website will provide additional details on the points available here. Students will also be required to record their city ramblings on a google map shared with the class.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Every student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct as published at their home institution. That document will cover each institution’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding but not limited to plagiarism and cheating. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through established procedures at the student’s home campus. This course requires students to work together on class assignments; however, the rules of academic integrity will be strictly enforced.
As students enrolled in this course, you agree to abide by the standards of academic integrity. In turn, I will not tolerate any instances of plagiarism or excessive collaboration, regardless of intent. This policy applies to ALL assignments in this course---from short-response papers to discussion posts. Your work must be your own. It is crucial that all students receive proper credit for their work and that all outside sources are accurately quoted and cited. Work is also not considered original when it has been submitted previously by the author or someone else for academic credit, so this means that “recycling” essays from previous classes is a violation.
Those suspected of violating this policy will be subject to the following:
- The student will receive an email notification from the professor as to the nature of the violation and the penalty.
- Students have up to two business days (48 hours) to respond to the instructor, indicating whether they accept the proposed penalty or whether they request the matter be referred to their home campus office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity or its equivalent for a review hearing.
- Failure to respond within this period will be viewed as a default admission of guilt of any alleged violations.
For additional information, please view the section on "Academic Dishonesty" on the UNG Code of Conduct. If you are unsure what qualifies as plagiarism, take this short quiz from Cornell University. If it is still unclear, ASK.
The EC Program and its faculty are committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity. Longer assignments will be submitted to turnitin.com for review, but more generally students will be accountable for their actions.
Attendance and Tardiness
Pre-departure deadlines are firm and must be met in order to keep up with the pace of the class.
While in London, attendance is mandatory at all class sessions and field trips. Students will lose one letter grade for each class or field trip they miss unless they are excused prior to class by one of the program directors, Drs. Cunningham and Mattord. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Promptness is also expected. Tardiness to class or field trips will also result in a letter-grade reduction, with two tardies equalling one absence.
Reading schedule and field trips
The complete schedule (with select page numbers) will appear on the Google calendar for this course.
You will immediately notice that several of the items on this reading schedule appear more than once. This is intentional. Your first and second reading experiences will offer different insights, worth articulating in short-response essays, and in our in-class discussions. Use this opportunity to read deeply and critically, taking good notes both times you visit the texts.
